St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-04-13
LIVE AND LET LIVE"
The Citizens of Faribault Say That This is
Their Motto From Now
Out.
A Convention of Minnesota Business Men
Who Consider the Interstate Com
merce Bill.
They Say TheyWiIl no Longer Tame1y
Submit to Discrimination
Against Small Towns.
Pointed Speeches That Indicate De.
termined Spirit--StilI More
to Follow.
Special TO the Globe.

the interstate commerce bill with clause
prohibiting discrimination in passenger and
freight rates, are liable to result in q benefit
10 the town and enable its merchants to
compete with the wholesale houses OF st.
Paul and Minneapolis for trade. Most of
the Industries of Faribault have for several
years been rather sluggish, and the old and
enterpriSing citizens say that the town is
gong backward instead of thriving, and
they claim the cause is the discrimination
OF the railroads against them. and in
favor of the larger cities. A few years
ago six flour mills were operating in Fari-
bault, and their owners were prosperous,
but the railroads had made such freight
rates that they could not compete with the
mills of Minneapolis, and one by one they
shut down, until at present only two are
running, and those at very close margin.
If Faribault was given fair show, if her
her merchants and manufacturers could get
the same freight rates from Chicago that
Minneapolis and st. Paul do, they say
they would be perfectly satisfied, and the
town could not help growing, as it has
natural water power in the Strait river,
which winds through its southern border,
that would draw manufacturers there. For
several years, it is claimed. the actions of
the Faribault board of trade have been die
tated by few old fossils with moss Oh
their backs, who have been altogether too
conservative and too careful in their ven
lures, and as consequence the town has
SUFFERED MATERIALLY.
but in the reorganization of the board under
the Democratic administration new blood
has been infused into the body, and they
have started out in style that Indicates
hard tuSSle before they will tamely submit
10 any longer being sat upon by what they
choose to term 'stiff-necked monopolies."
They have got the impression that the
merchants OF St. Paul and Minneapolis are
quietly working to have that clause in the
interstate commerce bill prohibiting dis
elimination in freight rates SO construed that
Faribault and other small cities in the
southern and eastern portion of the state
will be treated as they have been in the
past and this, they have given it out in
cold, clammy sort of way, they don't
propose to stand. They say Live and let
live" is their motto, and they want an equal
chance for prosperity with the large cities.
With this end in view. the new board of
trade, with John r. Parshal president and
E. Ii. LOyhed. prominent hardware mer-
chant, secretary, issued a circular March
26 to the boards of trades or citizens of
nearly every town of any size and import.
ance in Southern and Eastern Minnesota,
inviting them TO send three delegates each
to a convention Of business men to be held
in Hills opera house, Faribault, Tuesday
and Wednesday, April y and Is. 'S7, for
the purpose of considering the interstate
commerce law and to take such action as
was considered necessary to secure the peo-
pie of the whole state all the benefits which
it is claimed will follow a .-
r-STRl(yT n ENFORCEMENT
of the provisions of the said law, and to
consider any other matters affecting the
business interests of the state which might
properly come before such q convention.
Hon. A. d. keyes, a prominent attorney
here, who has made special study of the
interstate commerce law, was selected to
deliver an address explaining the provisions
of the bill and its probable effects on the
commerce OF the country. The men who
have inaugurated this movement say EN-
phatically that if the railroads make
any show at not living up to
the requirements of the law and
continue to discriminate against the small
towns they will spare neither labor nor
money in laying their grievance before the
interstate railroad commissioners, and shall
insist on recognition of their rights. Sev-
eral of the towns have responded to the
ton tomorrow will show great deal of
enthusiasm. The following delegates and
;citizenSa arrived to-day. and have been
driven over the city by the citizens of Fari-
tbauit:
watervine-D. E. Potter C. A. Blair.
r Spring Valley. N. Grazing.
Hastings-R. c. Libby, George Barbaros, ].
F. Norrish.
New Ulm-J. A. Eckstein, William Pfan-
der, c. L. Ross.
Farmington-C. r. Grebie L. P Fluke, C.
P. Carpenter.
Wabasha-Capt. ]. H. Mullen. G. P. De
Long, F. j. Luger.
Waseca-P. c. Binley, J. A. Pugh, E. w.
Fiske.
Northfed-H. K. Kelley, o. F. Perkins, W.
W. Skinner, d. j. Ferguson, A. B. Kelley, W.
E. Moses, o. I. McClaughey, l. E. Kennedy,
J. T. Ames.
MAYOR TOwNLEY's SPEECH.
In the evening Mayor Townley addressed
the convention as follows:
Gentlemen of the Convention: You have
come from your homes and business to our
city prompted by a sense of obligation to
protect your constituency and your people to
whom, as good citizens, you owe relative
duty. You represent the different associa-
tions that have requested and directed you
hither for and III the interest of the various
and different cities and surrounding country
Of which you are immediate citizens. Your
them, are to ascertain. if possible, your rights
and the rights of the people as
prescribed and declared by an
act of congress recently pasSsed
known as the interstate commerce law. As to
whether you are to see that the different rail-
road corporations operating within and be-
yond the boundaries of our great state keen
within the defined lines of this law I cannot
say, but, gentlemen, we believe that one of
the great purposes of your assemblage here
is to see that these vast corporations do not
and are forbidden to grant give by any
means to any one commercial center any ad-
vautages or priviles in freight and passenger
! rates over and above any other city in this
state. Nature may have done more for ST.
Paul and Minneapolis than it has for Mankato,
Austin, Waseca, Brainerd, Fergus Falls,
Saltwater, Red Wing, Rochester, Winona and
other cities in state but this law most
certainly prohibits and forbids any and all
distinctions in matters Of commerce.
Within the past twenty-eight years this
state as a state and the national government
have given much of their vast public domain,
by land grants to the different railroads, to
their early and eternal benefit, and very
much to the detriment of the present and
coming generations, and now believe,
after careful survey of this law, that the
railroads should and must remain perfectly
neutral Notwithstanding the daily press of
terminal points. As stated, our public do
main is gone from US and you now assemble
in our city to serve the people by careful IN
telligent and fearless reflections upon the
present measure. The wisdom of our con-
gressmen and senators in harmony with the
representatives of our sister states has, dur
ing the past session of our American con.
greSs, seen fit to check the Capitalization of
:power by this law and our interests in that re-
gard will continue to be protected and
guarded by our present members in congress
prominent among whom are ex-Goy.
Davis and Judge Thomas Wilson.
we are glad you have complimented us with
your presence. and when duty requires we
will call upon you at your ZONES severally.